| Every person set on joining their lives together with | | | | ones I saw in a catalog for $15 for 12.Another great |
| another wants the ceremony to be perfect. Each one | | | | place to shop for wedding decorations and favors is |
| wants to make a lasting impression on every single | | | | on Ebay. If you don't want to bother bidding, you can |
| person at the wedding. I'm sure you are no | | | | get excellent prices on many smaller wedding items |
| exception.But every year many, many people spend | | | | with the "Buy It Now" option.Invitations are another |
| thousands of extra dollars on weddings that may or | | | | costly item for weddings. If you have a good printer, |
| may not be memorable. Sure, you can have a | | | | you can buy very nice printable ones at most office |
| fantastic event for $50,000, but you don't have to | | | | supply stores, and print them yourself for about a third |
| spend that kind of money to have a wonderful, | | | | of the cost of ordering them printed.Catalogs are great |
| individual, fun and memorable service.There are many | | | | sources for ideas, but you can often adapt these |
| ways to cut costs for your wedding, but I want to | | | | ideas yourself, and save a lot of money. For instance, |
| focus on just one area: where you shop. Here is a | | | | personalized candy bar wrappers are wonderful for |
| cardinal rule:Don't shop at any store or in any catalog | | | | creating candy favors. Do a search in a reliable search |
| that says "bridal" or has a bridal theme unless you've | | | | engine, as I did, and you will find that you can print them |
| comparison shopped elsewhere. In almost every case, | | | | yourself online for free, at a number of websites. All |
| just adding the name or the thought of "bridal" inflates | | | | you need then is some candy bars and a glue gun to |
| the cost of everything in the store or the book.Take | | | | seal the wrappers, and you've saved a lot of money. |
| the case of candles, for instance. Candles are | | | | Or, just today I saw a very cute idea: heart-shaped |
| wonderful for wedding decorations. Votive candles, | | | | cookie cutters attached to personalized cards. These |
| especially, not only look beautiful on tables at the | | | | would be great to use as both favors and place cards. |
| reception, but make lovely favors for family members | | | | All you have to do to save money is go and buy a set |
| and special friends to take home. However, there is no | | | | of plastic or metal cookie cutters in the kitchen section |
| real difference between the votive candles you buy in | | | | of a discount store or grocery and make your own |
| most wedding shops and catalogs and the ones you | | | | cards, and they won't cost you $38, the price in this |
| buy in the dollar store.Do you really think that if you | | | | particular catalog for 12.I could go on and on, but the |
| pay $1 per candle and holder at a dollar store, | | | | bottom line is this: Don't let vanity cause you to spend |
| everybody is going to look at them and immediately | | | | unnecessary money where it won't be noticed. If you |
| think, "cheap?:" Well, let me assure you, they won't. | | | | want to splurge, splurge on the three things people |
| Some of the prettiest holders and candles I have ever | | | | really remember: the gown, the flowers, and the food, |
| seen have been in discount stores, and I have seen | | | | in that order. Everything else is even more wonderful if |
| the same ones in bridal catalogs for five times the | | | | you don't have to spend the honeymoon money to get |
| price.Dollar stores, in fact, are also wonderful sources | | | | it.Rhetta Akamatsu is a wedding consultant and |
| for containers for edible favors or potpourri. I recently | | | | seminar instructor in Marietta, GA. She is the owner of |
| bought one dollar packages of 8 small favor boxes | | | | Rose and Star Wedding Planning. |
| and of 8 paper cones at Dollar Tree, identical to the | | | | |